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Bautista, Cabrera hold starting spots in AL balloting

Reyes, Encarnacion and Lawrie still in mix for All-Star Game

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Bautista's solo dinger 0:29

6/6/14: Jose Bautista takes Lance Lynn to deep left for his 15th home run of the season, putting the Blue Jays on the board

By Gregor Chisholm
/
MLB.com |

TORONTO -- Blue Jays outfielders Jose Bautista and Melky Cabrera maintained their leads for starting positions at the upcoming All-Star Game in Minnesota on July 15, when the latest round of fan ballots were released on Sunday night.

Bautista currently is the only player in the American League with at least two million votes. His total of 2,135,223 leads Angels outfielder Mike Trout for the top overall spot in the AL. Cabrera sits third among outfielders with 1,096,784 votes.

The 33-year-old Bautista is attempting to make the All-Star team for the fifth consecutive year. He has been voted in by the fans in each of the past three years, after enjoying a breakout season at the plate in 2010 with a franchise record 54 home runs.

Cabrera entered play on Sunday with the second-most hits in the AL. He had 81 hits, which trailed only Houston's Jose Altuve for the top overall spot. Cabrera has been one of the most consistent hitters in the league this season, after having his 2013 campaign derailed because a benign tumor in his back.

Three other Blue Jays are still in the mix for a starting job. Shortstop Jose Reyes ranks fourth with 535,525 votes, but trails New York's Derek Jeter (1,376,054) by a significant margin. Designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion has been arguably the best hitter in baseball since the start of May, and he's ranked fourth at his position with 738,107 votes. Third baseman Brett Lawrie is fifth with a total of 469,855 votes.

Fans can cast their votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- online or on a mobile device -- using the 2014 All-Star Game MLB.com Ballot Sponsored by Experian until Thursday, July 3, at 11:59 p.m. ET. The 2014 All-Star Game will be played at Target Field on Tuesday, July 15.

Fans may submit up to 25 online ballots, but they can also earn a one-time bonus of 10 additional online ballots. To access these additional online ballots, you must be logged into your MLB.com account when you submit any online ballot. If you do not have an MLB.com account, register on the site in accordance with the enrollment instructions for a free MLB.com account.

Fans this year once again can participate in the Home Run Derby Fan Poll. Fans will have the opportunity to select three players in each league who they would most like to see participate in the Home Run Derby. The 2014 Home Run Derby will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio in the United States beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, July 14.

The 2014 American League and National League All-Star teams will be unveiled on the 2014 MLB All-Star Game Selection Show during the weekend of July 5-6, with further details to follow on MLB.com. Immediately following the announcement of the AL and NL All-Star rosters, fans can begin voting to select the final player for each league's 34-man roster via the 2014 All-Star Game MLB.com Final Vote Sponsored by Experian. Fans will cast their votes from a list of five players from each league over the balloting period.

And the voting doesn't end there. The final phase of All-Star Game voting will again have fans participating in the voting for the Ted Williams All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet. During the Midsummer Classic, fans will vote exclusively online at MLB.com via the 2014 All-Star Game MLB.com MVP Vote Sponsored by Pepsi, and their voice will represent 20 percent of the overall vote that determines the recipient of the Arch Ward Trophy.

The 85th All-Star Game will be televised nationally in the U.S. by FOX, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 200 countries via MLB International's independent feed. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network and SiriusXM will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.